Almost all ICT staff will need to reskill when AI enters the workplace

In its first ever report, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium analysed 47 distinct ICT jobs and concluded that 92% are expected to undergo either high or moderate transformation due to advancements in AI.

This is disproportionately high compared to the wider workforce. Citing an IMF report from earlier this year, the report said 40% of jobs worldwide are susceptible to AI-driven changes. It also cites some worrying stats from the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2023, which predicts that AI will create 69 million jobs, but replace 83 million.

According to the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP), in 2022 there were 4.2 million ICT professionals in the EU alone. In short, this is a large and particularly vulnerable group.

The report warns that entry and mid-level ICT roles are most at risk. 37% of the former and 40% of the latter are expected to experience high levels of transformation courtesy of AI.

Established in April, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium wants to help ICT workers safeguard their livelihoods by offering retraining pathways that mitigate the risks of job displacement and create new career opportunities in this brave new world.

The group is comprised of Accenture, Cisco, AI-based recruitment consultancy Eightfold, Google, IBM, Indeed, Intel, Microsoft and SAP. It is advised by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organisations, CHAIN5, the Communications Workers of America (CWA), DigitalEurope, the European Vocational Training Association, Khan Academy, and SMEUnited.

The report asserts that as AI makes its presence felt, certain skills will become more valuable. These skills cover AI ethics and responsible AI; prompt engineering; AI literacy; large language model (LLM) architecture and agile methodologies, among others.

Conversely, other skills – including traditional data management, content creation, documentation maintenance, basic programming and languages, and research information – will become less relevant. ICT workers in this group that want to avoid a dramatic downturn in their career prospects should therefore look into acquiring some new, AI-related skills.

"AI represents a never-before-seen opportunity for technology to benefit humankind in every way, and we have to act intentionally to make sure populations don't get left behind," said Francine Katsoudas, Cisco's chief people, policy and purpose officer, and founding member of the consortium.

On that note, several members of the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium have launched relevant initiatives.

Cisco is offering to train 25 million people in cybersecurity and digital skills by 2032. IBM is providing digital skills training to 30 million – which includes AI training for 2 million – by the end of 2026. Intel has a plan to provide AI skills training to 30 million people by 2030, while Microsoft wants to train and certify 10 million people in digital skills by 2025. SAP wants to upskill 2 million people by 2025, and Google is ploughing more than $130 million into supporting AI training in the US, Europe, Africa, LatAm and APAC.

"Across the consortium member companies, we have made it our collective responsibility to train and upskill 95 million people over the next 10 years," said Katsoudas. "By investing in a long-term roadmap for an inclusive workforce, we can help everyone participate and thrive in the era of AI."